BIRD CEREMONY IN DOUBT

MICHAEL ARACE; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Larry Bird, scheduled to be honored in a ceremony at the Civic Center March 28, faces another back surgery that could postpone the event until next season, sources close to the Celtics said Wednesday night.

It was reported last month that surgery is imminent for Bird, who retired last August after 13 NBA seasons.

Bird's back is "much worse" than it was last summer when he was on the gold medal-winning Dream Team at the Olympics, according to a source who requested anonymity because an official announcement on the surgery is not expected until the end of the week.

The source also said the surgery Bird faces is much different than the procedure Bird had in 1991, when he was able to walk out of the hospital in less than a day. Bird could be immobilized for an extended period.

The Hartford ceremony is scheduled for halftime of the 2:30 p.m. Celtics-Washington Bullets game, the Celtics' final appearance at the Civic Center this season.

But if he has surgery before March 28, the source said, the Hartford ceremony will be postponed because Bird won't be able to make it.

According to Celtics literature, Bird is to be honored in a 20-minute ceremony with a permanent and unique display at the Civic Center.

Bird first had surgery on his back in the summer of 1991. He played most of the 1991-92 season in pain, then retired.

Bird -- who serves as a special assistant to Dave Gavitt, the Celtics' senior executive vice president -- was feted in a 2 1/2 -hour retirement gala at Boston Garden Feb. 4. He then went to Florida, partly to take care of some business interests, partly for vacation.

The surgery likely would take place in Boston. Bird was at Celtics practice Saturday, leading to speculation his surgery is imminent -